IOPC investigations continue to be an area of concern to our members. Very often the involvement in these investigations is a cause of great anxiety. Members are always concerned and worried about the potential outcomes of such investigations which is often the cause of the anxiety. Reassurance is of vital importance to members who are […]
Conference motions
Many of our members work with the public in the best and worst of situations. Our call management staff can be dealing with a missing from home one minute and a murder the next. Very often our call management staff are the first port of call for those intending to complete a suicide and the […]
There is now more than ever a need for our service group to refresh its strategy on Race Religion and Belief. The representation of BAME members in branches, regions and national bodies is woefully poor. UNISON operates a system of self-organised groups for Women, Black members, Disabled members and LGBT members. This system is well […]
Police Staff who are subject to a misconduct investigations will be interviewed by Professional Standards Department (PSD) as part of the investigation. These interviews are often undertaken by detectives who are serving police officers and will be very similar if not the same as a criminal interview. These interviews will often be recorded and later […]
Conference notes that the last Labour government introduced the Equality Act 2010 in order to protect specific groups, including disabled women, from direct and indirect discrimination and from harassment and victimisation. The Act also gives disabled women the right to reasonable adjustments and protects them from discrimination arising from their disability, protections which apply to […]
Conference notes that, as the #MeToo movement demonstrates, misogyny is widespread in our society. However for disabled women there are particular challenges. Disabled women are more likely to be subjected to sexual assault, harassment and domestic abuse than non-disabled women. When they seek help they are often failed by inaccessible services that are not tailored […]
Conference believes that the strength and sustainability of all unions depend on the development of their activists. With 1 million women members, we also know that achieving equal rights for women is a long battle and whilst there have been gains over the last 25 years, women’s rights have never been more under attack than […]
For many women equality at work is often the key issues in their lives and whilst they make good headway in a chosen career or education path this can come sliding to a halt once they have children. As Conference is aware it remains the case that for women the main responsibility for the primary […]
Conference notes with serious concern that following the result of the referendum in Ireland to repeal the 8th Amendment of the Irish Constitution, Northern Ireland will become the only jurisdiction in these islands to persist with restrictive abortion laws that breach human rights. Conference believes that the time has come for Parliament to take clear […]
Childcare still remains a barrier to women in the workforce, with access to provision determined by class and income. Currently, all families are entitled to free childcare for 3-4 yr olds, but families with an income of over 16 hours on minimum wage are eligible for 30 hours of free childcare a week for the […]
Conference congratulates the National Women’s Committee for 25 years of policy development and campaigning on women’s health, safety and wellbeing. Progress on this area of work is vital for working women and should remain a key priority for the National Women’s Committee and UNISON. To enable women activists to access and share the knowledge and […]
MAKING THE LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER (LGBT) GROUP FULLY INCLUSIVE OF WOMEN’S IDENTITIES
Conference notes that the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) self organised group (SOG) has always sought to be fully representative of its diverse membership, in line with UNISON’s rules. It notes that the LGBT group works with inclusive, umbrella definitions of bisexual and transgender. It’s bi network is for all members who feel attraction […]
Conference is aware that a stillborn baby is one who has died before or during birth and at or after 24 weeks of pregnancy. Unfortunately; this is not a rare tragedy as around 15 babies die before, during or soon after birth every day in the UK. Sadly, this equates to 1 in 225 babies […]
Conference notes the strong evidence that cuts to the public sector affect women more than men. 65% of public service workers are women and almost a quarter of working women are in public sector jobs. Job cuts, pay freezes and changes to terms and conditions in the public sector are impacting more on women than […]
Since the Equality Act (2010) introduced the specific protected characteristic of pregnancy and maternity, discrimination laws have improved working and maternity conditions for new mothers. However, the law is still quite complicated for new mothers and navigating their way through entitlements can often appear daunting and with many employers also not knowledgeable enough to administer […]